The present invention relates to weigh scales, and more particularly to body weigh scales.
Scales are devices that are used to determine the weight of an object by measuring the gravitational pull exerted on that object. Scales are commonly used to determine the physical amount or quantity of an item, such as a foodstuff, for example.
Body weigh scales can be found in many contemporary homes, usually in a bathroom. For this reason, the body weigh scales are often called xe2x80x9cbathroom scales.xe2x80x9d In general, body weigh scales include a platform onto which a user steps, and the user""s weight is then displayed. Body weigh scales allow a user to monitor his or her weight, usually before or after a shower, or just after waking up in the morning.
Many body weigh scales are mechanical, spring scales. In a spring scale, a platform is connected to a spring, which either stretches or compresses to balance a load (i.e., a person) placed on the platform. A needle, whose position depends on the extent to which the spring is stretched or compressed, indicates the weight of the load. Some mechanical scales include a pulse counter and a digital display upon which the user""s weight is shown.
Electronic body weigh scales utilize electricity to measure loads. Electronic scales are faster, and generally more accurate, than their mechanical counterparts. A common type of electronic scale uses a strain-gauge load cell. This type of scale has a platform supported by a column, with a strain gauge fused to the column. A strain gauge is a thin wire whose electrical resistance changes when the wire is stretched or compressed. When a load is placed on the platform, the column and strain gauge are compressed. The corresponding change in resistance of the strain gauge can be used to determine the person""s weight.
The present invention is directed to a body weigh scale that displays a user""s weight in a gravity system other than where the scale is being used, such as a planet, the sun, the moon, or another celestial body. To this end, the body weigh scale includes a conversion component that converts the user""s weight to the other gravity system. For example, for a body weigh scale that is used on earth, the conversion component may convert the user""s weight on earth to the user""s weight on the moon, the sun, or any of the nine planets.
The body weigh scale may use one of many different weighing mechanisms, including mechanical or electrical weighing mechanisms. In one embodiment, the scale uses a mechanical weighing mechanism, having an analog display, and also has a digital display, for which weight information is generated, for example, by a pulse counter. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the user""s weight may be simultaneously displayed both in a xe2x80x9chomexe2x80x9d gravity system where the scale is used (e.g., the earth), and another, xe2x80x9cawayxe2x80x9d gravity system (e.g., the sun). In one embodiment, the display of the home weight is via an analog dial, and the display of the away weight is via a digital display such as an LCD. However, the displays may be reversed (i.e., a digital display for the home weight, and an analog display for the away weight), or both weights may be displayed by either analog or digital displays.
A selector may be provided so that a user may pick one of many away gravitational system. The selector may, for example, be a momentary switch that indexes through the nine planets, the sun, and the moon, or may be a dial that allows selection of one of the celestial bodies. Also, if desired, the user""s weight may be displayed in multiple away gravity systems, either on one large display, or on several displays.